Portable electronic apparatus

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic apparatus includes a display panel which is flexible and thus prevents or protects a defect from occurring when the portable electronic apparatus is bent. The portable electronic apparatus includes: a display panel configured to display an image; a window that is disposed over an image display surface of the display panel; a functional plate that is disposed between the display panel and the window; and a first adhesive layer that is patterned and is disposed between the display panel and the functional plate or between the functional plate and the window.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/656,561, filed Mar. 12, 2015, which claims priority to and thebenefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0096757, filed Jul. 29,2014, the entire content of both of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a portableelectronic apparatus including a display panel, and more particularly,to a portable electronic apparatus including a display panel which isflexible and thus prevents a defect from occurring when the portableelectronic apparatus is bent.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a portable electronic apparatus includes a display panel inorder to provide various information such as images, videos, stateinformation, and operation information, and a user interface to easilyoperate the portable electronic apparatus. Recently, attempts have beenmade to manufacture flexible portable electronic apparatuses in order toimprove the portability and usage convenience thereof.

SUMMARY

In a related art, portable apparatus including a display paneldecoupling occurs between various elements when the portable electronicapparatus is bent.

Aspects of one or more embodiments of the present invention include aportable electronic apparatus including a display panel which isflexible and thus prevents (or protects) a defect from occurring whenthe portable electronic apparatus is bent.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, aportable electronic apparatus includes: a display panel configured todisplay an image; a window that is disposed over an image displaysurface of the display panel; a functional plate that is disposedbetween the display panel and the window; and a first adhesive layerthat is patterned and is disposed between the display panel and thefunctional plate or between the functional plate and the window.

An area of the first adhesive layer with respect to a reference area ata central portion of the display panel may be greater than an area ofthe first adhesive layer with respect to a reference area at an edgeportion of the display panel.

The portable electronic apparatus may further include an auxiliaryadhesive layer filled between patterns of the first adhesive layer. Inthis case, an adhesive force of the first adhesive layer may be greaterthan an adhesive force of the auxiliary adhesive layer.

The display panel may include a black matrix corresponding to a portionbetween pixels or subpixels, wherein the first adhesive layercorresponds to the black matrix.

The portable electronic apparatus may include a set or predeterminedbending portion so that the portable electronic apparatus is configuredto be bendable at the bending portion, wherein an area of the firstadhesive layer with respect to a reference area at the bending portionof the display panel is different from an area of the first adhesivelayer with respect to a reference area at an edge portion of the displaypanel. In this case, the area of the first adhesive layer per referencearea at the bending portion of the display panel may be greater than thearea of the first adhesive layer per reference area at the edge portionof the display panel.

The first adhesive layer may be patterned to have island shapes.

The first adhesive layer may be patterned to have stripe shapes. In thiscase, the first adhesive layer may be patterned to have the stripeshapes that cross or intersect each other.

The first adhesive layer may include a portion that is patterned to haveisland shapes and a portion that is patterned to have stripe shapes.

The first adhesive layer may be disposed between the display panel andthe functional plate, and the portable electronic apparatus may furtherinclude a second adhesive layer that is patterned and is disposedbetween the functional plate and the window. In this case, an adhesiveforce of the first adhesive layer may be greater than an adhesive forceof the second adhesive layer. Alternatively, an area of the firstadhesive layer with respect to a reference area may be greater than anarea of the second adhesive layer with respect to the reference area.

The first adhesive layer may be patterned to have stripe shapes, and thesecond adhesive layer is patterned to have island shapes.

The first adhesive layer may include a portion that is patterned to haveisland shapes and a portion that is patterned to have stripe shapes, andthe second adhesive layer may be patterned to have only stripe shapes oronly island shapes.

The functional plate may include a polarizing plate, a phase retardationplate, or a touch panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a portableelectronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of the portableelectronic apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the portableelectronic apparatus of FIG. 8 bends; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “atleast one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire listof elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

The present invention may include various embodiments and modifications,and exemplary embodiments thereof will be illustrated in the drawingsand will be described herein in detail. The effects and features of thepresent invention and the accompanying methods will become apparent fromthe following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limitedto the embodiments described below, and may be embodied in variousmodes.

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of theinvention are shown. The same or corresponding elements in the drawingsare denoted by the same reference numerals, and a repeated explanationthereof will not be given.

It will be understood that when a component, such as a layer, a film, aregion, or a plate, is referred to as being “on” another component, thecomponent may be directly on the other component, or one or moreintervening components may be present thereon. In contrast, when acomponent is referred to as being “directly on”, there are nointervening components present. Sizes of components in the drawings maybe exaggerated for convenience of explanation. In other words, sincesizes and thicknesses of components in the drawings are arbitrarilyillustrated for convenience of explanation, the following embodimentsare not limited thereto.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”,“third”, etc., may be used herein to describe various components, thesecomponents should not be limited by these terms. These terms are onlyused to distinguish one component, from another component. Thus, a firstcomponent discussed below could be termed a second component, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “under”,“above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or in operation, in additionto the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the devicein the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or“beneath” or “under” other elements or features would then be oriented“above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example terms “below”and “under” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Thedevice may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein shouldbe interpreted accordingly. In addition, it will also be understood thatwhen a layer is referred to as being “between” two layers, it can be theonly layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers mayalso be present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventiveconcept. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Further, the use of “may”when describing embodiments of the inventive concept refers to “one ormore embodiments of the inventive concept.” Also, the term “exemplary”is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “connected to”, “coupled to”, or “adjacent to” another element orlayer, it can be directly connected to, coupled to, or adjacent to theother element or layer, or one or more intervening elements or layersmay be present. In contrast, when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “directly connected to”, “directly coupled to”, or “immediatelyadjacent to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elementsor layers present.

As used herein, the term “substantially,” “about,” and similar terms areused as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and areintended to account for the inherent deviations in measured orcalculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill inthe art.

As used herein, the terms “use,” “using,” and “used” may be consideredsynonymous with the terms “utilize,” “utilizing,” and “utilized,”respectively.

In the following examples, the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis arenot limited to three axes of the rectangular coordinate system, and maybe interpreted in a broader sense. For example, the x-axis, the y-axis,and the z-axis may be perpendicular to one another or may representdifferent directions that are not perpendicular to one another.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a portableelectronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of theportable electronic apparatus of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, the portable electronic apparatus includes adisplay panel 100, a window 510, a functional plate 300, and a firstadhesive layer 410 (not shown in FIG. 1 for convenience of explanation,but shown in FIG. 2). The first adhesive layer 410 may be, for example,a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) layer. Examples of the PSA layer mayinclude an optically clear adhesive (OCA) layer and an optically clearresin (OCR) layer. The present embodiment is not limited thereto, andthe portable electronic apparatus may further include an additionalfunctional plate 200 as shown in FIG. 1.

The display panel 100 on which an image may be displayed may be, forexample, an organic light-emitting display panel. The display panel 100may be flexible. In this case, the display panel 100 may include asubstrate including a material such as polyimide (PI) or polyethyleneterephthalate (PET).

The window 510 may be disposed over an image display surface of thedisplay panel 100. The window 510 is a light-passing window throughwhich light that is generated in the display panel 100 or that passesthrough the display panel 100 may be emitted to the outside. The window510 may function to protect the display panel 100 from the outside andalso may function as an anti-reflection film. The window 510 may be afilm formed of an organic material such as PI or PET, or may be formedof an inorganic material such as thin glass or sapphire. Alternatively,the window 510 may be formed of a combination of organic and inorganicmaterials.

The functional plate 300 may be disposed between the display panel 100and the window 510. The functional plate 300 may be, for example, apolarizing plate, a phase retardation plate, or a touch panel.

The portable electronic apparatus of the present embodiment may furtherinclude a housing 520 in which the display panel 100, the window 510,and the functional plate 300 are accommodated. Also, other elements maybe further provided between, behind, or in front of the display panel100, the window 510, and the functional plate 300. Also, the functionalplate 300 may be a polarizing plate, and the additional functional plate200 may be a touch panel.

The first adhesive layer 410 that is patterned is disposed between thedisplay panel 100 and the functional plate 300 or between the functionalplate 300 and the window 510. In FIG. 2, the first adhesive layer 410that is patterned is disposed between the display panel 100 and thefunctional plate 300.

When the portable electronic apparatus has a multi-layer structureincluding the display panel 100, the window 510, and the functionalplate 300, it is necessary to adhere at least some of the elements to benot separated from one another. In FIG. 2, the first adhesive layer 410that is patterned is disposed between the display panel 100 and thefunctional plate 300 to adhere the display panel 100 with the functionalplate 300.

If the display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 are entirelyadhered to each other by using an adhesive layer that is not patterned,unlike in the portable electronic apparatus of the present embodiment,an overall bending stiffness of the portable electronic apparatus israpidly increased and may become greater than that in the case when thedisplay panel 100 and the functional plate 300 are not adhered to eachother. This is because an overall bending stiffness of the display panel100 and the functional plate 300 when the display panel 100 and thefunctional plate 300 are not adhered to each other is equal to a sum ofa bending stiffness of the display panel 100 and a bending stiffness ofthe functional plate 300, whereas an overall bending stiffness when thedisplay panel 100 and the functional plate 300 are adhered to each otherby using an adhesive layer is equal to a sum of a bending stiffness ofthe display panel 100, a bending stiffness of the functional plate 300and a bending stiffness obtained by coupling the display panel 100 andthe functional plate 300.

To put it another way, if the display panel 100 and the functional plate300 are entirely adhered to each other by using an adhesive layer thatis not patterned, an overall bending stiffness of the portableelectronic apparatus is rapidly increased, thereby rapidly degrading theflexibility of the portable electronic apparatus. In addition, when theportable electronic apparatus is bent, decoupling may occur between thedisplay panel 100 and the functional plate 300 due to a differencebetween a stress that is applied to the display panel 100 and a stressthat is applied to the functional plate 300.

However, in the portable electronic apparatus of the present embodiment,the first adhesive layer 410 is patterned and then is disposed betweenthe display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 to adhere the displaypanel 100 with the functional plate 300. Since the first adhesive layer410 is patterned, a bending stiffness obtained by coupling the displaypanel 100 and the functional plate 300 may be greatly reduced to be lessthan a bending stiffness obtained by coupling the display panel 100 andthe functional plate 300 when the adhesive layer is not patterned. As aresult, since an overall bending stiffness of the display panel 100 andthe functional plate 300 that are adhered to each other by using thefirst adhesive layer 410 that is patterned is reduced, the flexibilityof the portable electronic apparatus may be maintained and the displaypanel 100 and the functional plate 300 may be adhered to each other.

The first adhesive layer 410 may be patterned to have any of variousshapes. For example, the first adhesive layer 410 may be patterned tohave island shapes that are spaced apart from one another or may bepatterned to have stripe shapes. In the latter case, the first adhesivelayer 410 may be patterned to have stripe shapes that cross or intersecteach other. Alternatively, the first adhesive layer 410 may be patternedto have hybrid shapes including a portion that is patterned to haveisland shapes and a portion that is patterned to have stripe shapes.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. In the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 3, an area ofthe first adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at acentral portion CP of the display panel 100 is greater than an area ofthe first adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at an edgeportion EP of the display panel 100. The term ‘reference area’ usedherein may refer to an area with a fixed specific size that is greaterthan an area of a largest island (on an xy plane) seen in a directionperpendicular to the display panel 100 when the first adhesive layer 410is patterned into islands that are spaced apart from one another. Thismeans that an area of the first adhesive layer 410 per unit area at acentral portion CP of the display panel 100 is greater than an area ofthe first adhesive layer 410 per unit area at an edge portion EP of thedisplay panel 100.

The patterning of the first adhesive layer 410 into islands that arespaced apart from one another may be obtained by enabling areas of theislands (on the xy plane) seen in the direction perpendicular to thedisplay panel 100 to be the same and enabling a center-to-centerinterval between the islands at the central portion CP of the displaypanel 100 to be less than a center-to-center interval between theislands at the edge portion EP of the display panel 100. Alternatively,the patterning of the first adhesive layer 410 into islands that arespaced apart from one another may be obtained by enabling areas of theislands (on the xy plane) seen in the direction normal (e.g.,perpendicular) to the display panel 100 to be different from one anotherand enabling the islands at the central portion CP of the display panel100 to have large areas and the islands at the edge portion EP of thedisplay panel 100 to have small areas.

When bending occurs in a state where the display panel 100 and thefunctional plate 300 are adhered to each other, a stress due to theadhesion between the display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 isless at a portion corresponding to the edge portion EP of the displaypanel 100 than at a portion corresponding to the central portion CP ofthe display panel 100. Accordingly, the possibility of decouplingoccurring between the display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 ishigh at the central portion CP of the display panel 100.

However, in the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 3, an area of thefirst adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the centralportion CP of the display panel 100 is greater than an area of the firstadhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the edge portionEP of the display panel 100. Accordingly, the risk of decoupling of thedisplay panel 100 and the functional plate 300 occurring at the centralportion CP of the display panel 100 may be effectively reduced. Here,not only the risk of decoupling may be effectively reduced but also anoverall bending stiffness of the portable electronic apparatus may begreatly reduced because the first adhesive layer 410 is patterned.

Although an area of the first adhesive layer 410 with respect to areference area at the central portion CP of the display panel 100 isgreater than an area of the first adhesive layer 410 with respect to areference area at the edge portion EP of the display panel 100 in FIG.3, the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

For example, the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 3 may be aportable electronic apparatus that is foldable or bendable at a specificset or predetermined portion. The specific set or predetermined portionmay be referred to as a bending portion. In this case, an area of thefirst adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the bendingportion of the display panel 100 may be different from an area of thefirst adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the edgeportion EP of the display panel 100. In more detail, an area of thefirst adhesive layer 410 with respect to the reference area at thebending portion of the display panel 100 may be greater than an area ofthe first adhesive layer 410 at the edge portion EP of the display panel100.

The patterning of the first adhesive layer 410 into islands that arespaced apart from one another may be obtained by enabling areas of theislands (on the xy plane) seen in the direction normal (e.g.,perpendicular) to the display panel 100 to be the same and enabling acenter-to-center interval between the islands at the bending portion ofthe display panel 100 to be greater than a center-to-center intervalbetween the islands at the edge portion EP of the display panel 100.Alternatively, the patterning of the first adhesive layer 410 intoislands that are spaced apart from one another may be obtained byenabling areas of the islands (on the xy plane) seen in the directionnormal (e.g., perpendicular) to the display panel 100 to be differentfrom one another and enabling the islands at the bending portion of thedisplay panel 100 to have small areas and the islands at the edgeportion EP of the display panel 100 to have large areas.

When the portable electronic apparatus having bendable characteristicsbends at the bending portion that is the specific set or predeterminedportion, a low stress due to the adhesion between the display panel 100and the functional plate 300 occurs at portions other than the bendingportion of the portable electronic apparatus, whereas a relatively highstress occurs between the display panel 100 and the functional plate 300at the bending portion. Accordingly, the possibility of decouplingoccurring between the display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 atthe bending portion of the display panel 100 is high.

However, in the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 3, an area of thefirst adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the bendingportion of the display panel 100 is greater than an area of the firstadhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the edge portionEP of the display panel 100. When an area of the first adhesive layer410 is greater, the display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 maybe more effectively adhered to each other. Accordingly, the risk ofdecoupling between the display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 atthe bending portion of the display panel 100 may be effectively reduced.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. The portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 4 further includesan auxiliary adhesive layer 410A that is filled between patterns of thefirst adhesive layer 410.

An image that is displayed on the display panel 100 is perceived by aviewer through the functional plate 300 and the window 510. In thiscase, since the first adhesive layer 410 is patterned, a part of theimage that is displayed on the display panel 100 may be perceived by theviewer through the first adhesive layer 410, the functional plate 300,and the window 510, and the remaining part of the image may be perceivedby the viewer through the functional plate 300 and the window 510without passing through the first adhesive layer 410. As such, whenlayers through which the image is perceived by the viewer are different,the viewer may perceive a distorted image, instead of the image that isdisplayed on the display panel 100.

However, since the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 4 includes theauxiliary adhesive layer 410A that is filled between the patterns of thefirst adhesive layer 410, a difference in layers through which an imagethat is displayed on the display panel 100 is perceived by the viewermay be reduced to some extent. In particular, image distortion mostlyoccurs due to a difference in a refractive index between layers throughwhich light passes. Even when components of the first adhesive layer 410and the auxiliary adhesive layer 410A are different from each other, aslong as refractive indices of the first adhesive layer 410 and theauxiliary adhesive layer 410A are similar to each other, the imagedistortion may be greatly reduced.

In this case, an adhesive force of the first adhesive layer 410 may begreater than an adhesive force of the auxiliary adhesive layer 410A.That is, since the auxiliary adhesive layer 410A functions to reduce theimage distortion when the viewer perceives an image that is displayed onthe display panel 100, an adhesive force of the auxiliary adhesive layer410A does not need to be as high as an adhesive force of the firstadhesive layer 410. In particular, in order to reduce an overall bendingstiffness of the portable electronic apparatus as described above, it ispreferable that an adhesive force of the auxiliary adhesive layer 410Aaccording to one embodiment of the present invention is less than anadhesive force of the first adhesive layer 410.

Even in FIG. 3, an auxiliary adhesive layer may be disposed between thepatterns of the first adhesive layer 410. In this case, an area of theauxiliary adhesive layer with respect to a reference area at the centralportion CP of the display panel 100 may be less than an area of theauxiliary adhesive layer with respect to a reference area at the edgeportion EP of the display panel 100. Also, even when the portableelectronic apparatus includes the bending portion as described above,the auxiliary adhesive layer may be disposed between the patterns of thefirst adhesive layer 410.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. Referring to FIG. 5, the display panel 100 includes a blackmatrix 100BM corresponding to a portion between pixels or subpixels100R, 100G, and 100B. The first adhesive layer 410 that is patterned maycorrespond to the black matrix 100BM. In FIG. 5, the black matrix 100BMis entirely filled between the subpixels 100R, 100G, and 100B, and thefirst adhesive layer 410 is patterned to have island shapes and isdisposed to correspond to the black matrix 100BM.

When an edge of the first adhesive layer 410 that is patterned overlapsat least a part of the subpixels 100R, 100G, and 100B, even when thefirst adhesive layer 410 allows light to pass therethrough, a part ofthe edge of the first adhesive layer 410 that is patterned may beperceived by a viewer who observes an image that is displayed on thedisplay panel 100, thereby degrading the quality of the image that isdisplayed by the portable electronic apparatus.

However, according to the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 5, sincethe first adhesive layer 410 is patterned to have island shapes and isdisposed to correspond to the black matrix 100BM, the edge of the firstadhesive layer 410 that is patterned may be effectively prevented frombeing perceived by the viewer.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. Here, the first adhesive layer 410 may be patterned to havestripe shapes that, for example, cross or intersect each other, and maybe disposed to correspond to the black matrix 100BM. Alternatively, FIG.7 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portable electronicapparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.Here, the first adhesive layer 410 may have hybrid shapes including aportion that is patterned to have island shapes and a portion that ispatterned to have stripe shapes, and may be disposed to correspond tothe black matrix 100BM.

Although the first adhesive layer 410 is disposed between the displaypanel 100 and the functional plate 300 as presented above, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the first adhesive layer410, which is patterned to have any of various suitable shapes as shownin the previous embodiments, may be disposed between the window 510 andthe functional plate 300.

Also, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. Here, the first adhesive layer 410 may be disposed betweenthe display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 and a second adhesivelayer 420 that is patterned may also be disposed between the window 510and the functional plate 300. Accordingly, the display panel 100, thewindow 510, and the functional plate 300 are adhered to one another, andan overall bending stiffness of the portable electronic apparatus isreduced, thereby effectively maintaining the flexibility of the portableelectronic apparatus.

Even in the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 8, an area of thefirst adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the centralportion CP of the display panel 100 may be greater than an area of thefirst adhesive layer 410 with respect to a reference area at the edgeportion EP of the display panel 100, like in FIG. 3. An area of thesecond adhesive layer 420 with respect to the reference area at thecentral portion CP of the display panel 100 may be greater than an areaof the second adhesive layer 420 with respect to the reference area atthe edge portion EP of the display panel 100.

The portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 8 may include an auxiliaryadhesive layer that is filled between patterns of the first adhesivelayer 410, and may also include an additional auxiliary adhesive layerthat is filled between patterns of the second adhesive layer 420. Also,the first adhesive layer 410 and/or the second adhesive layer 420 may bedisposed to correspond to the black matrix 100BM of the display panel100. The second adhesive layer 420 may also have any of various suitablepatterns, like the first adhesive layer 410 of FIGS. 5 through 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the portableelectronic apparatus of FIG. 8 is bent. In FIG. 9, the first adhesivelayer 410 that is disposed between the display panel 100 and thefunctional plate 300 and the second adhesive layer 420 that is disposedbetween the functional plate 300 and the window 510 are not shown forconvenience.

In general, a thickness of the window 510 is less than a thickness ofthe display panel 100 or a thickness of the functional plate 300.Accordingly, flexibility of the window 510 is better than flexibility ofthe display panel 100 or flexibility of the functional plate 300. Hence,assuming that the portable electronic apparatus is bendable, even whenan adhesive force of the second adhesive layer 420 between the window510 and the functional plate 300 is less than an adhesive force of thefirst adhesive layer 410 between the functional plate 300 and thedisplay panel 100, the window 510 may be prevented from being detachedfrom the functional plate 300.

Alternatively, an area of the second adhesive layer 420 with respect toa reference area may be less than an area of the first adhesive layer410 with respect to the reference area. For the same reason, even whenan area of the second adhesive layer 420 with respect to the referencearea is less than an area of the first adhesive layer 410 with respectto the reference area, the window 510 may be prevented from beingdetached from the functional plate 300 due to flexibility of the window510. In addition, when an area of the second adhesive layer 420 withrespect to the reference area is less than an area of the first adhesivelayer 410 with respect to the reference area, an overall bendingstiffness of the portable electronic apparatus may be greatly reduced.In this case, a basic adhesive force of a material of the first adhesivelayer 410 and a basic adhesive force of a material of the secondadhesive layer 420 may be the same. To this end, the first adhesivelayer 410 may be patterned to have stripe shapes (as shown in FIG. 6)and the second adhesive layer 420 may be patterned to have island shapes(similarly to FIG. 5). Alternatively, the first adhesive layer 410 mayinclude a portion that is patterned to have island shapes and a portionthat is patterned to have stripe shapes (as shown in FIG. 7), and thesecond adhesive layer 420 may be patterned to have only stripe shapes(similarly to FIG. 6) or only island shapes (similarly to FIG. 5).

Although respective ends of the portable electronic apparatus in a +ydirection and a −y direction are bent downward in a −z direction and acentral portion of the display panel 100 are bent upward in a +zdirection in FIG. 9, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. Forexample, the portable electronic apparatus of FIG. 9 may be bent in anyof various other shapes, for example, a serpentine or ‘

’ shape.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. Here, the first adhesive layer 410 may be disposed betweenthe display panel 100 and the functional plate 300 and a second adhesivelayer 420 that is patterned may also be disposed between the window 510and the functional plate 300. The portable electronic apparatus of FIG.11 includes an auxiliary adhesive layer 410A that is filled betweenpatterns of the first adhesive layer 410.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual plan view illustrating a part of a portableelectronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. The display panel includes a first adhesive layer 410 and anauxiliary adhesive layer 410A that is filled between patterns of thefirst adhesive layer 410, which may be disposed to correspond to theblack matrix corresponding to a portion between pixels or subpixels100R, 100G, and 100B.

As described above, according to the one or more of the aboveembodiments of the present invention, a portable electronic apparatusincludes a display panel which is flexible and prevents a defect fromoccurring when the portable electronic apparatus is bent may beprovided. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited tosuch effects.

While one or more embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed with reference to the figures, it will be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detailsmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the following claims. Accordingly, thetrue technical scope of the present invention is defined by thetechnical spirit of the appended claims, and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising: adisplay panel to display an image; a functional plate; a first adhesivelayer patterned to have stripe shapes and/or island shapes and disposedbetween the display panel and the functional plate; a window over animage display surface of the display panel with the functional platebetween the display panel and the window; a second adhesive layerpatterned and disposed between the functional plate and the window; andan auxiliary adhesive layer filled between patterns of the firstadhesive layer and/or between patterns of the second adhesive layer,wherein the first adhesive layer and the auxiliary adhesive layercontact each other and define a single layer and/or the second adhesivelayer and the auxiliary adhesive layer contact each other and define asingle layer.
 2. A portable electronic apparatus comprising: a displaypanel having pixels or subpixels to display an image; a window over animage display surface of the display panel; a functional plate betweenthe display panel and the window; a first adhesive layer patterned tocorrespond to a portion between the pixels or a portion betweensubpixels, the first adhesive layer being disposed between the displaypanel and the functional plate or between the functional plate and thewindow; and an auxiliary adhesive layer filled between patterns of thefirst adhesive layer, wherein the first adhesive layer and the auxiliaryadhesive layer contact each other and define a single layer.
 3. Theportable electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single layer has avarying adhesive force throughout.
 4. The portable electronic apparatusof claim 2, wherein the single layer has a varying adhesive forcethroughout.
 5. The portable electronic apparatus of claim 1, whereinmaterial of the auxiliary adhesive layer is different from that of thefirst adhesive layer and/or the second adhesive layer.
 6. The portableelectronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein material of the auxiliaryadhesive layer is different from that of the first adhesive layer.